Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Cute Kits
I hate to be picky, but there is a time when I want my kits to be cute and a time when I don't.
Let me explain. At three weeks of age, I sometimes get these gorgeous kits with full coats, beautifully placed ears that lop so well, a big head, and broad chest. They are a miniature of the perfect Holland lop. I hate those.
You see, those kits get you so excited because they are so gorgeous. But here's what's wrong. First, that full coat and gorgeous head probably mean it's a fuzzy. Those nicely lopped ears will be down to his knees by the time he's old enough to show. (And if I'm wrong about the first two and he's just bound to be a gorgeous Holland, then he's the one who will die or get the tip of his ear bitten off.)
No, I prefer my three week olds to have short ears that haven't started lopping - they should still be little pointy things at that age. I don't want that coat to be as long as the dam's at that age, either. And I'm looking for the middle-sized kits already, though it will be very obvious in three to five weeks. Those big full ones will probably be false dwarfs. Those tiny ones will probably be runty or too small to be competitive. Those middle-sized ones give me some hope.
Now it's great if an 8-week old is pretty, but that's totally optional. From about 6 weeks until anywhere from 3 1/2 months to 5 1/2 months, I just feed and take care of the rabbits and try very, very hard not to evaluate them for anything except being a false dwarf buck with no particularly good parts.
From time to time after 3 1/2 months, I'll peek in to see if any are ready to show; some are a bit precocious. I've had a very few 3 1/2 month olds to show well. But some are actually ready then. After that point, every week or so, I may add more juniors to the ready-to-show list.
That's when I want my rabbits to really start looking good. And I really don't care if their ears haven't totally lopped by then, either. I much prefer late lopping ears to long, heavy ears. I can't stand them. If I peek in at an 8-month old to find that his or her ears are finally down, great! It was probably worth the wait if they are still in my barn by that age because a rabbit has to have something going for it to make it that long.
Of course, every now and then, you will find an exception to almost any rule. I have a litter from May right now that has been cute every day of their lives. They were adorable at 3 weeks with longish fur and big heads. After the possibility of fuzzy was pointed out to me by a visitor, I was sure that they all four were fuzzies. But they are past the point that fuzzy is a possibility. I'm pleased at the surprise. I may find that early cuteness runs in that line. May was always cute herself.
But for most of my Hollands, waiting is the name of the game. Patience, not my strong suit, by the way, is the most important ingredient in my breeding program.
"Longer to the table, longer on the table . . . quicker to the table, quicker off."
Update: I think that the litter that produced May, Purdy, Hilary, and Jewel is my best thus far, both overall and in earth length. You can now see their baby picture on May's Page. Yup, she had those pointy little things I love!
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry “Home Of Grand Champions”
Precious Pet Rabbits
Affordable Web Site Design
¶ 6:47 AM
Let me explain. At three weeks of age, I sometimes get these gorgeous kits with full coats, beautifully placed ears that lop so well, a big head, and broad chest. They are a miniature of the perfect Holland lop. I hate those.
You see, those kits get you so excited because they are so gorgeous. But here's what's wrong. First, that full coat and gorgeous head probably mean it's a fuzzy. Those nicely lopped ears will be down to his knees by the time he's old enough to show. (And if I'm wrong about the first two and he's just bound to be a gorgeous Holland, then he's the one who will die or get the tip of his ear bitten off.)
No, I prefer my three week olds to have short ears that haven't started lopping - they should still be little pointy things at that age. I don't want that coat to be as long as the dam's at that age, either. And I'm looking for the middle-sized kits already, though it will be very obvious in three to five weeks. Those big full ones will probably be false dwarfs. Those tiny ones will probably be runty or too small to be competitive. Those middle-sized ones give me some hope.
Now it's great if an 8-week old is pretty, but that's totally optional. From about 6 weeks until anywhere from 3 1/2 months to 5 1/2 months, I just feed and take care of the rabbits and try very, very hard not to evaluate them for anything except being a false dwarf buck with no particularly good parts.
From time to time after 3 1/2 months, I'll peek in to see if any are ready to show; some are a bit precocious. I've had a very few 3 1/2 month olds to show well. But some are actually ready then. After that point, every week or so, I may add more juniors to the ready-to-show list.
That's when I want my rabbits to really start looking good. And I really don't care if their ears haven't totally lopped by then, either. I much prefer late lopping ears to long, heavy ears. I can't stand them. If I peek in at an 8-month old to find that his or her ears are finally down, great! It was probably worth the wait if they are still in my barn by that age because a rabbit has to have something going for it to make it that long.
Of course, every now and then, you will find an exception to almost any rule. I have a litter from May right now that has been cute every day of their lives. They were adorable at 3 weeks with longish fur and big heads. After the possibility of fuzzy was pointed out to me by a visitor, I was sure that they all four were fuzzies. But they are past the point that fuzzy is a possibility. I'm pleased at the surprise. I may find that early cuteness runs in that line. May was always cute herself.
But for most of my Hollands, waiting is the name of the game. Patience, not my strong suit, by the way, is the most important ingredient in my breeding program.
"Longer to the table, longer on the table . . . quicker to the table, quicker off."
Update: I think that the litter that produced May, Purdy, Hilary, and Jewel is my best thus far, both overall and in earth length. You can now see their baby picture on May's Page. Yup, she had those pointy little things I love!
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry “Home Of Grand Champions”
Precious Pet Rabbits
Affordable Web Site Design
¶ 6:47 AM
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Amen and Amen! LOL I say the same thing about baby Hollands. I have been soo disapointed myself with the "too cute" 3 week olds that turned out to be fuzzies. And what you said about just feeding them and not evaluating them too much between the age of 3 1/2 months to 5 1/2 months is right on! Very nicely put! I loved this post. LOL I also loved hearing that you actually have juniors that aren't ready for the show tables at 3 1/2 months. :P It gives me hope when even the top breeders still have normal Hollands. LOL
Alison
Alison
Laurie, Great Blog Article! Just a thought maybe somewhere on your site you could show a picture of what the nice short ears look like at 3 weeks and a nice big head. Maybe pics of your Grand Champions as babies. I know they change fast and its hard to tell what they will actually turn out like - My girls have Hollands and have a very hard time picking what to keep. Thanks for the great blog we enjoy reading it. Keep up the good work!
Great idea about the pictures. Unfortunately, I don't have a great many baby pictures to choose from. I just haven't had the time in the last year to take many. However, I do have a great picture of May with her litter at four weeks old. You can now see it on May's page at http://www.thenaturetrail.com/MaysPage. I also found three pictures of Markie at a kit and young junior. See them on Markie's page at http://www.thenaturetrail.com/MarkiesPage.htm.
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